Witches, Magic, Murder, & Mystery podcast

May 30, 2026 383. WITCH: What's in a Word?

For centuries, the word “witch” carried the power to destroy lives. In this episode, we explore how that meaning evolved, and what we owe to the people who carried those beliefs and traditions forward despite the danger.

Need more WMMM in your life? Join the Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/witchesmagicmurdermystery

Our Youtube Channel has longer versions of our episodes, with less editing and more outtakes: https://www.youtube.com/c/WitchesMagicMurderMysteryPodcast

Support our sponsors!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at www.betterhelp.com/wmmm and get on your way to being your best self.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/

https://witches.shca.ed.ac.uk/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/witchcraft

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/salem-witch-trials

https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/bridgetbishop.html

https://historyofmassachusetts.org/bridget-bishop-first-person-executed-salem-witch-trials/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tituba

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-tituba-the-original-salem-witch-180980793/

https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/tituba.html

https://witches.shca.ed.ac.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.case&caseref=804&search_type=people&search_string=agnes%20sampson

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Agnes-Sampson/

https://www.britannica.com/event/North-Berwick-witch-trials

https://witches.shca.ed.ac.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.case&caseref=251&search_type=people&search_string=isobel%20gowdie

https://www.historicmysteries.com/isobel-gowdie/

https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-confessions-of-isobel-gowdie/

https://witches.shca.ed.ac.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.case&caseref=794&search_type=people&search_string=bessie%20dunlop

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/d/bessiedunlop.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleister-Crowley

https://www.bl.uk/people/aleister-crowley

https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/aleister-crowley

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/28/aleister-crowley-biography-review

https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/28/obituaries/sybil-leek-witch-and-astrologer.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sybil-Leek

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sybil-leek-the-world-s-most-famous-witch-628953.html

All Witches, Magic, Murder, & Mystery episodes are a mix of Kara and Megan’s personal thoughts and opinions in response to the information that is publicly available at the time of recording, as well as, in some cases, personal accounts provided by listeners. In regard to these self-reported personal accounts, there can be no assurance that the information provided is 100% accurate.

If you love the Trash Witch art (see our Patreon or the Podcast store), Tiffini Scherbing of Scherbing Arts created her. Like her Scherbing Arts page on F

acebook, or follow her on instagram at @scherbingarts76! She can create anything you need.

TikTok: @wmmmpodcast

Instagram: @witchesmagicmurdermystery

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/465405701297488/

Email all your weird stories: [email protected]

Get to know us better:

Kara: @many_adventures_of_kara on Instagram

Megan: @meganmakesjokes on TikTok, @megan_whitmer on Instagram

WMMM Podcast

P.O. Box 910674

Lexington, KY 40591

Music credit: Chloe’s Lullaby (podcast theme) by Robert Austin. Available on Spotify, Google Play, YouTube, Bandcamp, and Patreon!